Defender’s of Wildlife news release: “Fences, dams, roads, and other developments are among the leading causes of wildlife habitat fragmentation, according to a new report released today by the Endangered Species Coalition. The report, No Room to Roam: 10 American Species in Need of Connectivity and Corridors, highlights ten rare or endangered species that lack safe, navigable corridors to connect them to important habitat or other populations. The full report, along with a slideshow, links to photos and species-specific info can be viewed and downloaded here. Defenders of Wildlife nominated the pallid sturgeon and the Florida panther for the report because both species are critically threatened by dwindling habitat and development. According to the report, the Florida panther numbers less than 200 adult individuals, yet a record 25 of these cats were killed crossing roads in 2014 alone. Vehicle collisions are also taking a toll on two other species featured in the report: the California tiger salamander and the spotted turtle. The prehistoric pallid sturgeon once swam the entire length of the Missouri and Mississippi River systems from Montana to New Orleans, but the population has dwindled to a few hundred wild fish as its upstream migration to spawning areas is blocked by dams on the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. The migration route of the Chinook salmon of the Pacific Northwest (a species than received an honorable mention in the report) is also impeded by dams. Other species featured in No Room to Roam include the Karner blue butterfly, the lesser prairie chicken, the Yellowstone grizzly bear, the eastern prairie fringed orchid, the Mexican gray wolf, and the palila – a rare Hawaiian finch-billed honeycreeper…”
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